Rescue boats race along the Clackamas River during an operation to find a man who went under water, then failed to surface. The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office conducts several rescues on the river each year, due to intoxication or people unprepared for the river's conditions.
(Clackamas County Sheriff's Office)

A hospital facility authority can issue bonds for health facilities, such as senior care homes or hospitals, wrote Milwaukie reporter Byron Wilkes.

However, Rose Villa decided against working through Milwaukie to speed up the process. Now, company officials are working with a Wisconsin-based authority, but needs Clackamas County to approve the deal.

The county won’t be on the hook for the bonds, nor be involved in making sure the capital projects Rose Villa plans actually come to fruition.

2. The Clackamas County commissioners are trying a new legislative strategy in the new year. Instead of focusing on 20 or more priorities, the governmental affairs and lobbying staff want the commissioners to choose four or five big topics to focus on.

A land-use quandry that forces politicians to balance the desire to protect farm land and protect small business owners, such as timber veteran Mark Fritch, is also on the table.

I wrote about Fritch, and guys like him, earlier this year. Fritch builds custom log homes, but ran into legal trouble when his neighbors reported him to the county’s code enforcement division. He fits into what many politicians and advocates want for Clackamas County’s agricultural community, with just one hiccup: he stacks logs on his property, which has been interpreted to violate state land use law.

3. The board is likely to adopt a plan Thursday to reduce fights, drunkenness and other nuisances along the Clackamas River. The way the ordinance is written now, it would go into effect immediately in preparation for this summer’s floating season.